Politics

SA Political Diary – Friday 29 July 2011

By Simon Williamson• 29 July 2011

The ANC Youth League president used his most colourful words of the week out from outside the court house in Queenstown. Nine Cape Town city councillors have been named and shamed (and in one case arrested) for not paying their traffic fines. Metrorail will be getting extra funding from the Western Cape government, it seems. And we'll, um, hear whether (convicted criminal) Sheryl Cwele still has a job next week. By SIMON WILLIAMSON.

Julius Malema, who you have had the pleasure of reading about every single day in the SA Political Diary this week, hosted one of his most notable press conferences yet. Malema was speaking at the Queenstown magistrate’s court where Gerhardus Greyvenstein, the chap who allegedly shot someone last week for defending the ANCYL president appeared. Malema came out with some of the strongest statements – even by his and Floyd Shivambu’s standards – he has ever made on record. He started slowly, saying that his trust account, the one which City Press went public about on Sunday, was to aid the poor, and that other leaders like Tokyo Sexwale also had trusts. He also said that if someone gave him a bribe there would be a receipt. Then the action really started. Referring to City Press’ anonymous source regarding Malema’s fund, he said, “If there is a baboon, come explain yourself, you coward…You don’t have a face, you bloody ape. I will explain where you can put your money and it will be stinking money.” As momentum gathered, the DA was his next target, “Driving a Corolla does not make you [a] politician. They are fake. What does that mean? Down with Helen Zille. Fools can’t speak politics.” He then went back to his oft-quoted position on nationalisation for economic freedom, and land redistribution before… “They [white people] must pay for making us slaves. we must punish them. And now they must pay. If we don’t, we are paying them for calling us kaffirs,” he said. Conversely, he immediately followed it up with “They must appreciate the fact that we have forgiven them, but must know we will never forget.” He also climbed into the media, saying that since he became ANCYL president he hadn’t had a moment of peace: “If I go to the toilet they [the media] follow me. They say ‘He went to the toilet, but he didn’t s**t’.”

City traffic police named and shamed eight Cape Town councillors, and arrested another, all of whom had outstanding traffic fines. The one who was arrested, a DA PR councillor named Clement Mhlanga, owes R2,200 and has failed to appear in court twice. Seven of the other councillors are from the ANC and the other is an independent. Mhlanga did, however, deny he had been arrested when asked for comment by the Cape Argus. Mayoral committee member, JP Smith, said that this was done to show the public that councillors were treated exactly the same as everyone else.

The Western Cape MEC for transport, Robert Carlisle, has said his department will indeed contribute more funds to Metrorail infrastructure, but said the first priority must be to stop those who ride the trains illegally – up to 30% of passengers. He admitted that too few trains were available, such as in Cape Town where only 81 to 90 trains operate, but 120 are required for the 600,000 rail commuters.

In case you haven’t read enough about Julius Malema, a group of Limpopo businessmen, the Forum of Limpopo Entrepreneurs, have threatened to expose companies with links to which they claim have received illegal tenders. “There are tenders in this province that were not advertised. These tenders were given to boys who are leaders and members of the youth league, including Malema’s cousin,” said Siviko Mabunda, a spokesman for the group. This isn’t the first time the Forum has spoken up: City Press quotes it in a tender article on 12 September 2010, and it accused the SABC of censorship for not covering their protest against tender fraud in February 2010.

We’re supposed to hear on Friday next week whether convicted and guilty drug trafficker (which earned her 12 years in chooky), Sheryl Cwele, will keep her job as health director in the Hibiscus Coast municipality. Yep, you read that correctly.Read more: Timeslive

Treasurer general of the ANC, Mathews Phosa, spoke at a Standard Bank executive lunch yesterday and admitted the government’s drawn out response to nationalisation calls was worth of criticism, but said he personally felt government should not meddle with profitable companies, but did think state-owned businesses could compete in the market.

Wilmot James moved to clarify statements by the ANC Youth League on Wednesday that he still serves on the board of Media24. James says he left the post in 2008 when he decided to enter politics, as well as posts on the boards of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and Sanlam.

The DA’s Mike Moriarty, a provincial chairman in Gauteng, has said municipalities in the province are owed more than R22 billion, including R7.2 billion to Ekurhuleni (36% of its total income), R8.4 billion to City of Johannesburg (29%) and R2.8 billion to Tshwane (17%). In contrast, he pointed out that Midvaal municipality was only owed R55 million which was 9% of its annual income.

The DA and Cosatu have both lamented the increase in the unemployment by 0.7 percentage points to 25.7% in the second quarter, a stat released yesterday. The DA’s shadow minister of labour Ian Ollis said it was reflective of the ANC’s economic policy. Cosatu said the efforts toward economic policies – IPAP2, New Growth Path, etc. – should be intensified. Hmmmmm.

The ANC caucus in KZN has slammed the National Prosecuting Authority over the manner it has gone about its investigation into two senior ANC provincial government officials, Peggy Nkonyeni and Mike Mabuyakhulu. ANC chief whip Ravi Pillay said leaking the results of the investigation to the press resulted in a trial by media and prejudices their right to a fair trial.

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi has wished the king of the Zulu people, His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelethini who has turned 63, a happy birthday. “I congratulate our monarch on another year of good health and good leadership. The former is bestowed by God, but for the latter we must thank our King.” Buthelezi said he hoped the king’s good health would continue so that many more years of leadership could be enjoyed.

The ANC in Gauteng has dismissed reports that it is micro-managing Premier Nomvula Mokonyane as claimed in the Sunday Independent. The statement says that these accusations are fuelled by the DA and Cope, a reference it makes twice in the statement, although neither party is mentioned in the weekend article. “The ANC utterly rejects this failed attempt to sow divisions in our ranks. Both the DA and Cope have enough internal problems in Gauteng which they must fix.”

OP-ED

Pearlie Joubert •21 hours ago

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason." ~ Thomas Paine